Who pays for the sewer lateral in Modesto, CA

Who is responsible for which part

The house sewer line is the owner's to build, maintain and repair - and in Modesto that reaches under the road, but stops short of the joint at the main. The City's packet defines the line as running from the building plumbing "to, but does not include, the connection at the City sewer main". The City also runs a cost-share programme for the part in the right-of-way, and will flush or inspect that part for free before you call a plumber.

The property owner

The house sewer line, which reaches the main but not the fitting at it. Section 5-6.309(b) states that "each user shall be responsible for the construction, maintenance and repair of his or her house sewer line", and the City's Cost-Share packet defines that line as "the pipe that begins at the house/building plumbing system and extends to, but does not include, the connection at the City sewer main". The same subsection adds that "each user shall be liable for damages which may result to the sewage system from his or her failure to keep his or her house sewer line in good order".

What else is worth knowing

Nothing splits the pipe, but three things decide what this costs you. First, the City does not describe your pipe the same way twice: its Cost-Share packet starts your line at the building plumbing, while its Land Development page says you are responsible "from their property line out to the main in the street and/or alley" - so whether the run across your garden is part of the regulated house sewer line depends on which City page you read. Both agree about the part under the road, which is yours either way and is the expensive part. Second, the joint at the main is expressly outside your line, which is the reverse of several other cities and worth saying to a contractor who assumes otherwise. Third, before you call a plumber, call the City: under "Call Us First" Wastewater Services will come out and, where there is a lower lateral clean-out, "flush or inspect the lower lateral line" at no charge - and if the blockage turns out to be in the main, City crews clear it. If the repair does fall in the right-of-way, ask about the House Sewer Line Repair Cost-Share Program before you commit to a contractor, because it requires three bids and prior written approval. The service the City calls "Call Us First" has a formal name too, and asking for it by name gets you further. Its sewer system management plan describes "the Complimentary Lateral Program", which "assists City of Modesto customers with lower lateral maintenance": "through this program, customers can call the City when they experience a sewer backup and Collections crews will clear the lower lateral using municipal lateral machines". The same plan states the ownership position plainly - the City "owns and operates the wastewater collection system but does not own or operate either upper or lower lateral" - so the clearing is a service and not a share of your pipe.

Checked 2026-09-14

What is required

• Any timePermit

  Modesto requires an encroachment permit for work in the public right-of-way and names this work in its own examples: Land Development Engineering "issues encroachment permits for all work performed in the City's right-of-way. Examples include: curb, gutter, sidewalk, driveways, sewer lateral repair and installation, and others." The permit is taken out by the contractor, who must have "proper workers' compensation and liability insurance on file with the City of Modesto". If you intend to use the City's House Sewer Line Repair Cost-Share Program, the permit is one of its conditions - "an encroachment permit is obtained by the contractor prior to starting the work and the work is inspected and approved by the City inspector" - and so is getting the paperwork approved first: "all necessary paperwork is submitted to the CSP coordinator and approved prior to the start of work."

  What to do: Before you accept a quote, ask two questions. Ask the contractor whether they hold a Class A or C-34 licence and whether their workers' compensation and liability insurance is already on file with the City of Modesto, because the encroachment permit is theirs to obtain and those are what it turns on. Then ring the Cost-Share Program coordinator on 209-342-4712 and get your paperwork approved before anybody digs - the City's share is conditional on prior approval and on three bids, and starting early forfeits it. If the problem is a blockage rather than a break, call Wastewater Services on 209-577-6200 first: they will check the main and, where there is a lower lateral clean-out, flush or inspect your lower lateral at no charge.

  Why this matters▸▾

  In Modesto the house sewer line is the owner's all the way to the main, which means an ordinary lateral repair is usually a trench in the City's road, and that is a permit. The order of events then decides money rather than paperwork. The City shares the cost of repairs in the right-of-way, but only if the application is approved before the work starts and only if the contractor is properly licensed for it - the programme names "a valid Class A General Engineering or Class C-34 Pipeline Contractor license", and a plumber with neither is not an eligible contractor however good the quote is. Permit costs themselves are not covered.

  In force since 2026-09-14 · Checked 2026-09-14

  City of Modesto, Land Development Engineering

  Also quoted:

  • City of Modesto, House Sewer Line Repair Cost-Share Program Guidelines

Who governs and serves this area

Jurisdiction

Modesto (municipality)

Sewer service

Not mapped. No sewer service territory covering this area has been added, so BelowGrid cannot say who serves an individual address here.

Assistance programmes

• City of Modesto House Sewer Line Repair Cost-Share Program - loan option

  Confirm before relying on this. Two things are unsettled and both cost money at signing. First, the City has two copies of these guidelines live on its own website which differ on one figure: the title report fee is "approximately ... $75" in the copy cited here and "$500" in the other. Ask the coordinator which applies before you commit. Second, no interest rate and no repayment term are published anywhere in what was read - the guidelines say only "principal and interest, over a pre-determined period of time" - so this is not an interest-free loan and the cost of borrowing is a question you have to ask. Funding is also "dependent upon the availability of annual funding".

  The City pays the same share it would under the reimbursement option and lends you the rest, so you are not out of pocket up front: it "will reimburse 50% of the cost to replace public improvements affected during repairs ... and will loan the property owner the remaining share of the repair cost", with the City's portion "equivalent to the reimbursement amount under the Reimbursement Option". The loan is repaid "including principal and interest, over a pre-determined period of time" - neither the rate nor the term is published. You also pay the costs of setting it up: "approximately $250 administrative fee and $75 title report fee" in the copy of the guidelines cited here, and a lien is recorded against the property.

  The same conditions as the reimbursement option - residential property of six units or less, annexed to the city of Modesto, work in the public right-of-way rather than on private land, three quotes from contractors holding "a valid Class A General Engineering or Class C-34 Pipeline Contractor license", paperwork approved before work starts, an encroachment permit taken out by the contractor, and City inspection - plus three further items for the loan itself: an "Existing Single Family Deferral Application", a "Notice of Lien between City and property owner (executed and recorded)", and payment of the loan agreement fees. Upgrades required to meet current City standards must be done and are not eligible for reimbursement. Permit costs are not covered.

  Apply on the official site

• City of Modesto House Sewer Line Repair Cost-Share Program - reimbursement option

  Confirm before relying on this. The City describes what this pays for in two incompatible ways, on two of its own pages, and the difference is money. The Guidelines packet an applicant is given says the City reimburses "50% of the cost to replace public improvements affected during repairs to the house sewer line located within the public right-of-way" - that is, half of putting the road and footway back. The Land Development Engineering page says the programme "reimburses 50% of the lowest of three licensed and approved plumber bid estimates for the final cost of the sewer line repair" - that is, half of the whole job. Ask the coordinator on 209-342-4712 which one your claim will be assessed on, and ask it before you take a bid, because it changes what half of your repair is worth. Funding is also "dependent upon the availability of annual funding", so confirm the current year's position in the same call.

  Half, of something the City describes two different ways - read the note above before you budget. Under the reimbursement option "the property owner is responsible for the full payment of the repair within the public right-of-way" and the City reimburses 50%, "based on 50% of the lowest of three bids". So you pay the contractor in full and claim afterwards, the City's share is pegged to the cheapest of your three quotes rather than to what you actually paid, and nothing on your own land qualifies: the assistance "is only for the portion of the sewer line located in the right-of-way and does not cover any sewer work on the property".

  Residential property of six units or less, on land annexed to the city of Modesto, with the work in the public right-of-way and not on private property. The City requires at least three quotes from properly licensed contractors (except for a "Clean-out Only"), and the contractor must hold "a valid Class A General Engineering or Class C-34 Pipeline Contractor license" - an ordinary plumbing licence is not enough. All the paperwork must be "submitted to the CSP coordinator and approved prior to the start of work", an encroachment permit must be obtained by the contractor before work begins, and the work must be inspected and approved by a City inspector. Repairs must include any upgrades needed to meet current City standards, such as a different pipe material or "the addition of a sewer cleanout adjacent to the property line" - and those upgrades "are not eligible for reimbursement". Permit costs are not covered.

  Apply on the official site